Doctors say there's an urgent need for a public health campaign about women's folic acid intake.
The call's come in light of research showing an increase in babies born with neural tube defects like spina bifida, which can be prevented by taking the nutrient before and after conception.
Studies at the Coombe Hospital in Dublin have shown that as few as one in four women have taken folic acid before they've conceived, and the numbers taking it are falling.
